impossible gardens
by Alecto Perdita
Summary: Kaiba is a single father and Jounouchi is a kindergarten teacher. Need I say more?


The week that Asuka started kindergarten, Kaiba was trapped in Berlin on business. There was no way around the matter; contract negotiations required the presence of a strong-willed executive. Westerners always thought they could steamroll Kaiba because he was Japanese. He relished the opportunity to disabuse them of the notion every time.

On the first night, Mokuba sent him a photo of Asuka, looking more serious than any four-year-old should in her kindergarten uniform. Of course, the next photo that followed included Fubuki, who hated being left out of the spotlight. Kaiba smiled at his phone for five solid minutes. The very next day, he got to throw the forensic finance report detailing the rival company's attempt to cover up an embezzling scandal in their CFO's face.

It was a good start to the week.

He didn't have time for a video call with his children until halfway through the week. Fubuki was predictably engrossed with his obsession of the week: the latest sentai show on NHK. Asuka, on the other hand, couldn't stop raving about her new kindergarten teacher, some Jounouchi-sensei. Of the two siblings, Asuka was the most like him— confident but somewhat cold to outsiders. To see her open up to a complete stranger within a matter of days gave rise to a strange irritation crawling under his skin. By the time he was set to fly back, he was sick and tired of hearing about Jounouchi-sensei and how they could do no wrong.

When he drilled Mokuba about the teacher, all he would say was, "Jounouchi's something else entirely. You'll see, Seto."

The flight back to Domino was uneventful, and Kaiba slept poorly through it. Business class wasn't what it used to be. Isono was waiting outside the customs, and for once, Kaiba didn't fight him when he insisted on carrying the luggage. There was nothing out of the ordinary to report about KaibaCorp, which meant everything ran smoothly in his absence for once.

Early morning traffic was mercifully light. The clock hit a quarter past eight by the time Kaiba stepped over the threshold of the mansion.

"Welcome home, Seto-sama. Mokuba-sama and the children are having breakfast in the kitchen." Hanako, the head maid, bowed and greeted with a stiff smile, which translated into a rough start for Fubuki and Asuka's day.

"Daddy!" Twin voices screeched as soon as he stepped into the kitchen.

Mokuba dove for the floor and barely caught the bowl of rice that Fubuki flung from the table when he jetted out of his seat. The impact from the two flying blurs tackling his knees nearly knocked Kaiba off his feet. Good thing he had a lot of practice from when Mokuba was still a child.

"Did you bring us presents?" Fubuki demanded with an expectant tilt of his head.

Asuka pressed her face to the side of his leg. She squeezed the limb so hard that Kaiba thought he might lose circulation. "You were gone for more than one week," she accused as she finally lifted her head, and then added, "Eight days."

"I said about a week, not exactly a week." He shook his legs lightly, and both children reluctantly detached themselves. Kaiba knelt down and opened his arms to receive their hugs. "I'm home."

"Welcome home, daddy," they chimed in unison.

"Sorry, you three, but I have to break up the heartfelt reunion. Asuka and Fubuki need to get going now so they're not late for school." Mokuba smiled apologetically. "You should eat and get cleaned up before your meetings, Seto."

Fubuki pouted. "You're not taking us to school?"

"I'm sorry, but not today," Kaiba sighed. There was no helping his schedule. He had already pushed everything back once because of the Germany trip.

"But you have to meet Jounouchi-sensei," Asuka wailed.

At the mention of the teacher's name, Kaiba felt the muscles in his temple twitch dangerously. "But I'll come pick you both up after school," he promised. His meetings should be done by one. Plus, he wanted to meet this teacher that his daughter was so enamored with.

Hanako arrived to shoo the children from the kitchen, sternly telling them to get their school things. On his way out, Mokuba retrieved both of their bentos from the counter, snickering all the way.

"What is it?" Kaiba growled at his younger brother.

"Nothing. It's cute that you're jealous of Jounouchi," Mokuba proclaimed as he glided out the door.

"I'm not jealous of anyone."

"Doth protest too much, Nii-sama!"

-x-x-x-

The meeting ran over— very over. School ended almost an hour ago, and Mokuba was unable to get away from his job duties any more than Kaiba after a week of neglecting them to watch the kids.

"Seto-sama," his executive assistant called after him when he finally stormed out of his office. "I called the school on your behalf. One of the teachers volunteered to stay behind until you can pick up the children."

Some of the tension bled from his shoulders. "Good, I'll be leaving for the day. No business calls unless it's a dire emergency."

"Of course, say hi to Fubuki-chan and Asuka-chan for me."

Kaiba expertly weaved in and out of Domino's traffic, putting into practice everything he had learned from driving in LA. His judicious use of the car horn would scandalize most Japanese citizens. The trip from KaibaCorp to the school usually took 30 minutes on a good day. Today, Kaiba made it in twenty.

The kindergarten wasn't the most exclusive or expensive in the city. With his wealth and connections, Kaiba could have had his pick of schools for his children. But only one kindergarten in Domino was run by Mutou Sugoroku and Kaiba's former high school classmate, Mutou Yuugi. If anyone was prioritize his children's happiness and well-being at all cost, it would be those two.

After parking the car, he punched the security code into the front gate and noted the row of darkened windows up front. It appeared as if all the other teachers, children, and parents were long gone. But one classroom at the far end of the building was lit. As he drew closer to the room, screaming glee that he recognized as Asuka's flowed through the door left ajar and into the inner courtyard. Kaiba had never heard Asuka laugh for someone outside of their immediate family like that. Before entering, he straightened his tie and drew himself to his full height— a sight that he knew from experience startled most people when they first met him in person.

A sign on the door proclaimed it the Poppy classroom, which had also been Fubuki's class when he entered the kindergarten last year. Upon entering, Kaiba was greeted by the sight of both his children dangling under the teacher's arms like sacks of potatoes. The teacher— was he really a teacher?— had his back turned to the door, so Kaiba could only make out a man several centimeters shorter than himself with a head of wild blond hair. Up until the moment he walked through the door, Kaiba thought Jounouchi-sensei was a woman to have endeared herself so quickly to Asuka. Kaiba's heart nearly jumped into his throat when the so-called teacher neatly dropped Fubuki, who didn't look up from his handheld game, into a nearby seat, before tossing Asuka over one shoulder.

Asuka noticed him immediately and cried out in greeting, "Daddy!"

"Oh shoot." With his back still turned to Kaiba, the teacher muttered softly, but Kaiba heard him.

"Put me down, Jounouchi-sensei." Asuka demanded primly.

So this was the great and wonderful Jounouchi-sensei. Kaiba's scowled deepened as he watched the man knelt down to release Asuka. Who did he think he was manhandling Kaiba's children like they were small animals? He usually trusted Sugoroku and Yuugi's hiring decisions, but this might be one case where he might have to register a complaint. Still, manners dictated a proper introduction.

"My name is Kaiba Seto, Fubuki and Asuka's father. I apologize for the delay. Thank you for watching my children," he ground out past his mounting annoyance (and decidedly not jealousy, thank you very much Mokuba).

Slowly, Jounouchi turned in the manner of a child caught red-handed. Upon seeing the teacher's face for the first time, Kaiba was struck by how young he was. Jounouchi looked like he was closer in age to Mokuba, meaning he was probably fresh out of university. Male kindergarten teachers were not unheard of— Yuugi was one and another foreigner taught at the school last year. But Jounouchi didn't seem like the nurturing type, more like the sort of person you'd find on a sports field than in a classroom.

The teacher gawked at Kaiba with wide amber eyes, like a deer caught in the headlights. Kaiba didn't have to wonder very long about what he was thinking, when Jounouchi blurted out, "Sheesh, the moms weren't kidding. You are smoking hot!"

Kaiba blinked owlishly, not sure he had heard right. He registered Asuka throwing her arms around one leg, but he and the teacher continued to stare at one another. Kaiba waited for the words to sink in for Jounouchi; for the teacher to become suddenly flustered and embarrassed with his overly forward observation, and then to finally apologize and return the balance of power in Kaiba's favor. That moment never came to pass as Jounouchi continued to regard him with a mildly impressed expression.

Did that make Jounouchi stupid or shameless?

"Jounouchi-sensei, you can't say that," Asuka suddenly chastised.

Jounouchi broke eye contact with Kaiba and glanced down at his daughter. "What do you mean?"

"No one ever says that to Daddy's face. They always say it behind his back," she informed him sternly. "Uncle Mokuba says it's so Daddy won't fire them. I don't want Daddy to fire Jounouchi-sensei."

Jounouchi bounced his disbelieving gaze between father and daughter, and then started howling with laughter. For the first time in a while, Kaiba was unsure of how to deal with his daughter or the situation at hand. He resisted the urge to press his face into his palms. Either way, he was going to have a long conversation with his brother after they returned home.

The sound finally caught Fubuki's attention, who looked up from his handheld game with confusion painted across his chubby face. The device in his hands sang, changing his expression from confusion to alarm. "Ah! I died!"

Shoulders still shaking with suppressed chuckles, Jounouchi plucked the game device from Fubuki's hand. "That's enough. Your old ma— dad's here to pick you guys up."

Kaiba braced himself for the inevitable temper tantrum. Something close to disappointment welled in the pit of his stomach when Fubuki only pouted, "But I almost beat the level."

"I'll let you play again next time," Jounouchi promised and slipped the device into his back pocket.

Fubuki hopped to his feet and shouldered his book bag. Then with a determined face, he raised one hand in the air and Jounouchi answered the gesture with an easy high-five. Fubuki then rushed over to Kaiba's side and waited obediently to be taken home.

"Asuka, get your things," Kaiba ordered his youngest child, who sighed but did as she was told.

"Hey," Jounouchi said with an impossibly wide grin. "I don't mind watching Asuka-chan and Fubuki-kun the next time you or Mokuba are held up."

"That won't be necessary—"

"I insist, Kaiba-san."

The polite speech and honorific gave Kaiba pause. It felt unnatural coming from Jounouchi's mouth, especially since he spoke Mokuba's name without one. Kaiba wasn't sure what to make of this man, as seemingly out of place as he was. Both Asuka and Fubuki were obviously attached, and Kaiba was a week too late to intervene. He reluctantly nodded his head. "I leave them in your care then, Jounouchi-sensei."

* * *

Notes:

\- Kindergartens in Japan are usually privately owned and act more like daycare than formal schooling. Children officially enter the Japanese school system in the first grade around the age of 6.  
\- A non-magical AU without Duel Monsters and Millennium Items. KaibaCorp is more of a generic business conglomerate based in the area of consumer electronics.  
\- I'm sorry, I know nothing about writing children or how they talk. I'm sorry…  
\- That's Asuka and Fubuki from YGO GX. Here, they're four and five years old respectively.  
\- Jounouchi is younger than Kaiba here because I felt like it. :3


End file.
